The present embodiments relate to liver disease assessment. Liver disease requires early attention to minimize risks of chronic liver failure and cancer. For instance, primary liver cancer is the second cause of death from cancer and the sixth most common cancer type. In oncology, liver treatment consists of either global strategies (e.g., complete liver transplant), regional strategies (e.g., resection of the diseased part, which is then regenerated naturally), and localized strategies (e.g., arterial embolization, with or without active agents like chemo (TACE) or radioactive elements (TAR), venous embolization, or ablation). While global and regional strategies are the most effective today, localized strategies are minimally-invasive with less side-effects and shorter recovery time. However, the localized strategies often suffer from incomplete treatment and thus recurrence. Today, localized strategies are used if other approaches fail (e.g., as neo-adjuvant for resection) or in combination for maximizing benefit or chance of success of treatment.
As the number of therapeutic option increases, questions arise on what is the best treatment strategy for a given patient in terms of outcome, recovery and side effects. The current liver function in the patient is assessed. A prediction is made for what the liver function will be after intervention. Planning for therapy considers what vessels to target and what vessels to avoid and whether any reactive agent (e.g., chemo pharmaceutical or radiation) will reach the tumor.
Medical imaging may be used for this liver disease assessment. Medical imaging techniques provide powerful tools to visualize the liver and liver function. Physicians must then extrapolate the condition and/or therapy based on the information from the imaging. A limited type or amount of information may be considered. The outcome is predicted based on generalized knowledge from other cases and the current state of the specific patient.